John Mayer may have written the music, but Grand Haven-based Bill Chrysler makes sure it sounds great

Dianne Carroll BurdickBoard man: Bill ChryslerWith these hands, monitor engineer Bill Chrysler, 56, moves the faders up and down, pushes the buttons, and turns the knobs at his mixing console so performers on stage can hear what the audience is listening to. Chrysler grew up in the Grand Rapids area, lives in Grand Haven now with his wife and two children, but tours most of the time. He left in January with the John Mayer tour that will land in Grand Rapids on February 28 for an 8 p.m. performance at the Van Andel Arena.

Performers wear in-ear monitors while performing on stage. These monitors, which look like earplugs with wires, cost about $1,000 a pair. Audiologists work with the performers. They fill an ear canal with silicone to make a mold for their in-ear impressions; the final in-ear monitors are custom designed. The performers hear more due to in-ear monitoring and have a longer career because they can listen at a quieter level and perform better since they hear exactly what they need to hear Although every performer wants to hear something a little different while they perform.

Chrysler sits at his mixing console and adjusts sound for each individual player on stage. Mayer’s band includes eight people. More than thirty years of experience has brought him to where he is today, working with the best bands on stage all over the world. Chrysler started out playing guitar in his own band and mixing the sound. By 1975, three years out of high school, he was mixing sound for the original Natchez Trace band. One year later, he traveled to California with that band and its manager, Ed Kettle. Kettle nailed a publishing deal for Natchez Trace with Martin Cohen, who published the Eagles.

So Chrysler was in L.A. and at this point got a job in a recording studio, made contacts, earned a degree from the Institute of Audio Technology, and became an instructor there. Later on he worked at The Country Club in L.A., the place to be that served up great names like Ted Nugent, Todd Rundgren, and Pat Benatar. Then Electrotec, one of the three biggest sound companies in the world, was his new world. “From that point, I never turned back.”

On February 28, Chrysler and the band will wake up in the Van Andel Arena parking lot having travelled from New York City’s Madison Square Garden. The night after the Van Andel show, they will be in Milwaukee.

“There are a lot of people on the crew,” Chrysler said. “I like to plug in my own little electronic area—make sure everything works.” By 4 p.m., he does a sound check with Mayer and the band and stores the information digitally. As soon as the opening act is done, Chrysler is at his mixer. He also wears custom-made in-ear monitors to hear the sound, one performer at a time. When the concert starts, he tries to listen twenty to thirty seconds for each performer, starting with Mayer.

“I witness great live performances,” Chrysler said. “I have been privileged and honored to see and hear the best. It doesn’t have to be in a performance hall—maybe a rehearsal.” Chrysler’s face lights up. “I’ve mixed over 6,000 large concerts. I do some huge shows. The bottom line is we’re not there saving lives, but we are going to bring some joy to some people’s lives.” So on February 28, bring on the joy!